Background: Pediatricians are in an ideal position to advise families about the prevention and management of oral diseases in children. The objective of the study was to determine knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding the prevention of oral diseases among pediatricians in Italy.

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Hip fractures of the elderly are increasing and represent a major health problem in industrialized countries such as Italy.

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Anthocyanins represent the major red, purple, and blue pigments in many flowers, fruits, vegetables, and cereals. They are also recognized as important health-promoting components in the human diet with protective effects against many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and cancer. Anthocyanin biosynthesis has been studied extensively, and both biosynthetic and key regulatory genes have been isolated in many plant species. Here, we will provide an overview of recent progress in understanding the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway in plants, focusing on the transcription factors controlling activation or repression of anthocyanin accumulation in cereals and fruits of different plant species, with special emphasis on the differences in molecular mechanisms between monocot and dicot plants. Recently, new insight into the transcriptional regulation of the anthocyanin biosynthesis, including positive and negative feedback control as well as epigenetic and post-translational regulation of MYB-bHLH-WD40 complexes, has been gained. We will consider how knowledge of regulatory mechanisms has helped to produce anthocyanin-enriched foods through conventional breeding and metabolic engineering. Additionally, we will briefly discuss the biological activities of anthocyanins as components of the human diet and recent findings demonstrating the important health benefits of anthocyanin-rich foods against chronic diseases.

Natural products have attracted interest in the search for new and effective analgesics and coadjuvant approaches to several types of pain. It is in fact well known that many of their active ingredients, such as anthocyanins (ACNs) and polyphenols, can exert potent anti-inflammatory actions. Nevertheless, their potential beneficial effects in orofacial painful syndromes have not been assessed yet. Here, we have evaluated the preventive effect of an ACN-enriched purple corn extract against the development of orofacial allodynia, in comparison with isogenic yellow corn extract containing only polyphenols. Orofacial allodynia developed following induction of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) inflammation in male rats, due to the injection of Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA), and was evaluated by von Frey filaments. Animals drank purple or yellow corn extracts or water starting from 11 days before induction of inflammation and up to the end of the experiment 3 days later. To highlight possible additive and/or synergic actions, some animals also received the anti-inflammatory drug acetyl salicylic acid (ASA). In parallel with the evaluation of allodynia, we have focused our attention on the activation of microglia cells in the central nervous system (CNS), as it is well-known that they significantly contribute to neuronal sensitization and pain. Our data demonstrate that purple corn extract is as effective as ASA in preventing the development of orofacial allodynia, and only partial additive effect is observed when the two agents are co-administered. Yellow corn exerted no effect. Multiple mechanisms are possibly involved in the action of purple corn, including reduction of trigeminal macrophage infiltration and the shift of microglia cell polarization to an anti-inflammatory phenotype. In fact, in rats receiving yellow corn or water microglia cells show thick, short cell processes typical of activated cells. Conversely, thinner and longer microglia cell processes are observed in the brainstem of animals drinking purple corn extract; shape changes are accompanied by a reduction in the expression of pro-inflammatory molecules and increased production of anti-inflammatory mediators. Administration of purple corn extracts therefore represents a possible low-cost and easy way to reduce trigeminal-associated pain in various pathological conditions also thanks to the modulation of microglia reactivity.

Alterations of the retinoic acid receptor (RAR)a locus are found in 100% of acute promyelocytic leukemia patients, where chromosomal translocations generate the promyelocytic leukemia (PML)-RARa chimeric protein. Here, we have investigated the biological properties of the other RAR isoforms (RARb and RARc), through the generation and characterization of artificial PML-RAR'x' fusion proteins. Surprisingly, we found that all of the RAR isoforms share an identical oncogenic potential in vitro, thus implying that the selection of the RARa locus in leukemia patients must occur -rather than through functional differences among the various RAR isoforms-as the consequence of the nuclear architecture of the different RAR loci.

The World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund's Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is aimed at the global promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding. In this study, we compared breastfeeding-related information received, knowledge and behaviours among postpartum women in Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative accredited and non-accredited hospitals. We selected 10 hospitals: 9 non-accredited hospitals in the Campania region in southern Italy and one accredited hospital in the Piedmont region in northern Italy. In total, 786 women (580 (73.8%) in Campania and 206 (26.2%) in Piedmont) in the hospitals’ maternity wards completed a questionnaire comprising 5 sections within 24 to 72hours after giving birth. The questionnaire investigated breastfeeding activities in the days immediately following childbirth, as well as the information provided by health personnel, knowledge about breastfeeding before and during hospitalisation, and participation in antenatal classes. To evaluate the comparison between the 2 regions, we performed at first a bivariate analysis and then a multinomial and a multivariate logistic regression. Compared with Piedmont, in Campania hospitals there was a rate of breastfeeding of 44.3% vs 89.3%, a skin-to-skin contact between mother and child of 74.5% vs 90.7% and first milk feed within 2hours of 15.0% vs 87.2%. The Campania group had fewer problems with child latching. The Campania group reported receiving less information about breastfeeding in general compared with the Piedmont group. In general, both groups showed good basic knowledge about different aspects of breastfeeding. In both regions, about 90% reported that the information received during the antenatal classes simplified the breastfeeding experience. Our study confirms the importance of systematic promotion of breastfeeding and subsequent delivery of adequate support to maternity departments, in accordance with international guidelines.